WKU extends national, international reach during Winter Term programs

During Winter Term 2012, WKU students and faculty participated in numerous national and international courses, trips and programs. Check out the following reports that are posted on the WKU News page:

• Gatton Academy in Costa Rica: Students at WKU’s Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky participated in a global learning experience in Costa Rican biodiversity studies.
• Belize Program: Students and faculty from four departments in WKU’s College of Health and Human Services participated in the annual International Health and Human Services Learning Program, also known as the Belize Program.
• Geology of the Bahamas: Sixteen WKU geology majors traveled to San Salvador Island, Bahamas, for a study abroad field course on the geology and natural history of the Bahamas islands.
• Winter program in Peru: WKU faculty and students participated in an Amazon Winterim in Peru to get information to design a collaborative course for doctoral students in the Educational Leadership program and master’s students in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities.
• Study Away courses: The WKU Study Away Office completed two courses, taking students to the western floodplains or through the art world of New York City.
• Mission trip to Haiti: Two WKU students and five alumni were among 21 Kentuckians who spent a week in Haiti.

More: Photos from some of the trips are posted on the WKU Facebook page; if you have news or photos from Winter Term 2012 courses, contact the Media Relations office.

Winter Term’s Study Away courses take students to floodplains, art world

The WKU Study Away Office completed two courses during Winter Term 2012, taking students to the western floodplains or through the art world of New York City.

WKU students Luke Gilliam and Jacob Merriman examine a document about coastal erosion in Encinitas, Calif., during a Study Away course on floodplain management.

“Total Immersion Floodplain Management,” a civil engineering field experience course, offered a unique opportunity to explore massive flood control works and interact with professionals from many of the largest U.S. flood control districts. The goal was for students to develop an understanding of past, current and future floodplain issues by visiting sites of both spectacular success and abysmal failure in floodplain management.

Nine civil engineering students researched unique flood-control systems in three states, studying floodplain areas in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Salton Sea and San Diego. Students also researched the Hoover Dam. Dr. Warren Campbell, associate professor of civil engineering and coordinator of the floodplain management minor, led the course and stressed that that the key element of the course is “immersion.”

“It’s like learning a new language,” said Campbell. “One must be immersed in the subject to begin to master it.”

Luke Gilliam, a civil engineering senior from Russellville, said learning in the field was key: “We learned about flood control systems in the classroom, but [through this course] we could actually climb on them to see how they really work,” Gilliam said.

These are the first WKU engineering students to experience a course designed specifically for them, and this model can be used in future Study Away courses.

"Art in New York City" allowed WKU students to experience the city's art world.

Another course, “Art in New York City,” allowed students to fully experience the art world of The Big Apple. Dr. Ingrid Cartwright, WKU art professor, led the course. Students spent five intensive days studying the city’s art scene, attending gallery talks and listening to lectures by prominent art historians. Students toured numerous museums, including the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, where they viewed the major retrospective exhibition of Willem de Kooning. Students also visited the 9/11 Memorial, Times Square and Rockefeller Center and took in Broadway shows. Three individuals joined the group through a WKU Study Away non-credit enrichment-travel option called “American Traveler.”

Dr. Cartwright said her goal was for students to “critically examine the role of the viewer in art throughout history and from around the world.”

Cartwright said the course allowed students to see great works of art they had known only in textbooks. “Even more importantly,” she added, “it exposed them to the incredible scope and vibrancy of the art world in a cultural capitol.”

Study Away is designed to challenge students to think about their coursework in a different way, setting them apart from their peers. Courses during Summer Sessions 2012 are in development and will be posted to the Study Away website as they are added.

WKU Study Away is a unit of  Extended Learning and Outreach.

Contact: Jerry Barnaby, (270) 745-2231

Gatton Academy students conduct biodiversity research in Costa Rica

Students at WKU’s Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky participated in a global learning experience in Costa Rican biodiversity studies during the university’s recent Winter Term.

Students from the Gatton Academy participated in a Winter Term course in Costa Rica. More photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WKUNews

The two-week program was led by Dr. Keith Phillips, an associate professor in WKU’s Department of Biology. Sixteen Gatton Academy students, along with Academy Director Tim Gott, spent six days conducting research at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in the cloud forest of southern Costa Rica’s mountains.

Other locations visited over the course of the program included Hacienda Barú on the Pacific jungle coast, a night in a jungle camp, Manuel Antonio National Park, Isla del Caño for snorkeling, the artisan town of Sarchí, and Arenal, one of the world’s most active volcanos.

Participation in the program went beyond coursework in a global classroom. Students obtained valuable experiences in critical thinking, research planning, data collection, and observation techniques through individual studies. Research projects focused on biomonitoring in a Costa Rican rainforest; a dung beetle study; elevation gradient of leaf litter invertebrates; hydrology; large mammal photo capture; comparing insect diversities in Heliconia bracts; the symbiosis of Gunnera and Nostoc; forest successions biodiversity; and the importance of rainforests.

Serving in the role of research mentor at Cloudbridge was Clarice Esch, a Gatton Academy alumna and junior in WKU’s Department of Agriculture from Somerset. Esch is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greater Research Opportunities Fellow. She was part of the inaugural Academy program in Costa Rica in 2011 and returned with the group as part of her research on the effects of nitrogen fertilizers in agricultural systems.

The goal of her study was to seek improvement in methods of fertilization of crops, and that this possible discovery will advance better environmental management for agriculture programs.

Lori Lovell, a second-year student from Florence, noted that the experience at Cloudbridge was about more than just her academic pursuits.  “Time spent at Cloudbridge gave me the opportunity to learn not only about the environment, but about myself. I learned about self-motivation, goal-setting and even personal limitations. This experience was both physically and mentally challenging,” she said.

Experiences in the cloud forest taught Erin Walch, a second-year student from Alexandria, about the complexity of nature and the unique connections among species.

“The feeling of walking under a canopy that has grown for decades before I was born, and the knowledge that there will always be a part of the forest I have yet to see, is extremely fascinating,” Walch said. “I have come to respect these great, green mountains for the challenge their elevations have provided me, both physically and mentally, and am most sad to return to a world so tamed and flat—a world far less wild than I have become endeared to.”

Gatton Academy students participating in the 2012 Winter Term Course included: Jon-Kyle Bailey a first-year student from Campbellsville; Garrett Barnes, a first-year student from Frankfort; Will Bickett, a second-year student from Owensboro; Gabby Canant, a second-year student from Owensboro; Leah Cannady, a first-year student from Brandenburg; Paul Flesichmann, a second-year student from Crestwood; Eva Gray-Jennings, a first-year student from Bowling Green; Melanie Hurst, a second-year student from Bronston; Alison Jones, a first-year student from Henderson; Chiraag Kapadia, a first-year student from Madisonville; Lori Lovell; Holly Morris, a second-year student from Bowling Green; Wayne Schmitt, a first-year student from Jeffersonville; Nathaniel Serpico, a first-year student from Elizabethtown; Henry Uradu, a first-year student from Russell; and Erin Walch.

In addition to the program in Costa Rica, 16 Gatton Academy students visited locations throughout Italy during Winter Term. Later this summer, 32 Gatton Academy students will study literature at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. Other students will study in Taiwan, Russia and China through WKU programs.

In all, three-out-of-four Gatton Academy students participate in a study abroad or global learning experience by the time they finish the two-year program.

More: Photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page.

Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 745-2971.

WKU students honored in Kentucky press, photojournalism competitions

WKU students received numerous awards last weekend in competitions sponsored by the Kentucky Press Association, Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association and Kentucky News Photographer Association.

In the KNPA competition, Brynn Anderson received the 2011 Ed Reinke Memorial Best of Show for her feature picture story while David Kasnic received the Judges Award for his portfolio. In the student division, Armando Sanchez won Student Photographer of the Year while Anderson was runner-up.

In the KPA competition’s University division, the College Heights Herald finished second in the General Excellence competition.

Attending the KPA/KIPA conventions from the Herald staff were Cole Claybourn, editor; Tessa Duvall, managing editor; Brad Stephens, sports editor; Emily Patton, features editor; fall editor Jonathan Lintner; and reporters Spencer Jenkins, Michael McKay and Natalie Hayden. Bob Adams, Student Publications director, Herald adviser and member of the KPA Board for 2012, also attended.

Awards were presented Jan. 20-21 in Lexington.

Faculty, students participate in annual Winter Term program in Belize

Students and faculty from four departments in WKU’s College of Health and Human Services participated in the Winter Term’s annual International Health and Human Services Learning Program, also known as the Belize Program.

Faculty and students from four departments in WKU's College of Health and Human Services participated in the Belize Program during Winter Term 2012. More photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WKUNews

The program was led by Dental Director Daniel Carter and Supervising Dental Hygienist Bonny Petty of WKU’s Institute for Rural Health Development and Research. This year’s participants included students and faculty from WKU’s Social Work, Communication Disorders, Dental Hygiene and Nursing departments.

The Belize Program extends the mission of WKU and the College of Health and Human Services by providing services that promote wellness of body, mind and environment to the underserved community of Gales Point, Belize. Participants engage in hands-on and reflective projects teaching them to be socially responsible citizen leaders of a global society.

The WKU International Health and Human Service Learning Program started during the summer of 2007. Since then, WKU students, faculty and staff have visited the remote and underserved village of Gales Point each year.

While the program consists mostly of College of Health and Human Services faculty, staff and students, the program has spread in the recent years to include other WKU colleges and majors that have gone on to start new programs in Belize.

Students participating in this year’s program received hands on clinical experience ranging from dental restorations and cleanings, to extensive women’s health screenings and exams, to classroom health education in Belizean schools. In addition, the students worked collaboratively with the Belizean Ministry of Health to provide many services to the citizens of Belize City and Gales Point.

Students participating in the 2012 Winter Term course included: Alicia Azimipour, a senior Dental Hygiene major from Bowling Green; Katie Bittel, a Social Work graduate student from Madisonville; Sarah Crabtree, a Social Work graduate student from Owensboro; Lucas Hall, a Social Work graduate student from Bowling Green; Jill Howe, a Social Work graduate student from Owensboro; Brenda Lewis, a Social Work graduate student from Leitchfield; Jessica May, a junior Nursing major from Madisonville; Jennifer McDivitt, a Nursing graduate student from Evansville, Ind.; Jerri McMillan, a junior Social Work student from Vine Grove; Erin Miller, a senior Nursing student from Evansville, Ind.; Alyssa Nantz, a senior Dental Hygiene student from Nashville; Devan Russell, a senior Dental Hygiene student from Franklin, Tenn.; and Kasey Sears, a senior Social Work major from Russellville.

Faculty and staff involved in the Belize Service Learning program were Daniel Carter and Bonny Petty of the Institute for Rural Health Development and Research; Eve Main of Nursing; Trish Desrosiers of Social Work; Jan Sandidge of Communication Disorders; and Joseph Evans of Allied Health.

The College of Health and Human Services Belize Program is offered every year during the Winter Term through the Institute for Rural Health Development and Research.

More: Photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page.

Contact: Stacey Forsythe, (270) 745-6948.

News from Center for Gerontology

Here are some news items from WKU’s Center for Gerontology:

• The Center has been awarded membership in the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics’ Global Ageing Research Network. The IAGG, based in Toulouse, France, is building a large network to foster scientific development of gerontology and geriatrics worldwide. The aim is to develop an international research capacity and to involve Centers of Excellence dedicated to social gerontology, basic sciences and clinical gerontology. Experts will be invited to exchange information about all types of topics related to ageing; set up contacts between professionals; and build a collaborative research program.
• Dr. Kathleen Abrahamson, assistant professor of Public Health, had a study Does Cognitive Impairment Influence Quality of Life Among Nursing Home Residents? published in the latest issue of The Gerontologist.
• Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald, instructor in the Center for Gerontology, recently was elected as a Member-At-Large to the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). Dr. Fitzgerald is a co-principal investigator on the Bowling Green “Age Friendly Cities” project. AGHE is the only international organization devoted to supporting gerontology and geriatrics education and is an affiliate of the Gerontological Society of America.

The Center for Gerontology, directed by Dr. Dana Bradley, is part of WKU’s University College.

Contact: Center for Gerontology, (270) 745-2356.

Theatre and Dance hosts auditions

WKU Department of Theatre and Dance recently hosted nine production companies and theaters from five different states for a day of auditions.

WKU graduate Jeremy Benton led a dance call during a day of auditions on Jan. 22.

On Jan. 22, 86 students sang, danced, acted and showed their technical portfolios in the hopes of getting work in the performing arts.  Although most companies were looking for performers for the summer, a few came to see recent alumni who could start work immediately.

“We have had great responses to the work our students are doing,” said Tracey Moore, director of Music Theatre. “Our event grows every year.”

Stage One Family Theatre came from Louisville to see what students might potentially be right for their next productions.  “We never choose our season with preconceived notions,” said Peter Holloway, producing artistic director for Stage One.  “Plus, as a community based nonprofit, we like building relationships with other arts organizations.”

Corey Harrison, production manager for Stage One Family Theatre in Louisville, discussed a technical internship with WKU student Holly Berger of Bowling Green.

Usually auditions are high stress situations.  However, many students commented on the ease with which the day progressed.  “It’s low stress because WKU is our home, so we have a lot of fun,” said Vicki Siegrist, a senior from Bowling Green.

More than 15,000 were entertained by the WKU Department of Theatre and Dance last year.  The department presents more than 20 productions every year, including four mainstage productions, two mainstage dance concerts, three student-choreographed dance concerts, a children’s theatre series, a studio series of student-directed works, a Before Broadway Series featuring a staged reading of a new musical, and a Next Stage Series of showcases and works in progress.

More information about the WKU Department of Theatre and Dance can be found online or by calling the department at (270) 745-5845.

More: Theatre and Dance news.

Contact: Tracey Moore, (270) 745-2849.

WKU Continuing Education will offer boiler safety course March 13-15

WKU is offering a hands-on safety training course for employees who work with boilers. The goal of the course is to help prevent potential catastrophes for those involved in the operation, maintenance, planning or purchasing of boilers.

The March 13-15 course is available through a partnership between WKU Continuing Education (CE) and WARE, Inc., an industry leader in boiler and chiller sales, rental and service. The partnership allows CE to bring the training to the area.

Continuing Education Director Sharon Woodward said that the course provides local businesses with affordable, professional training for their employees. “Bringing this training to the area means that local industries can avoid the high cost of sending employees out of state,” Woodward said.

WARE Boiler University is recommended for all employees involved in the operation, maintenance, planning or purchasing of boilers or boiler-related equipment. “Statistics show that most boiler and pressure vessel incidents are caused by human error,” Woodward said. “We hope that this course will prevent local industries from learning this the hard way. It could actually save lives.”

Seasoned boiler industry professionals lead the course, providing instruction in boiler safety, efficiency operations, maintenance, cost reduction, boiler inspections, feedwater chemistry and more. Students also receive 2.4 CE units from WKU after completing the three-day course.

The course takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 13-15 at the Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green. Continental breakfast and lunch are provided.

Registration and fee deadline is Feb. 27. Fees are $1,200 per person. For information, visit www.wku.edu/ce/ware or call (270) 745-1912.

Contact: Susan Esters, (270) 745-8922.

WKU graduate collaborates on book to answer questions on embryo donations

As awareness and interest in donating and adopting frozen human embryos increases, the questions of “how do or should we tell the children?” start to arise.

To address this emerging and growing demographic, the National Embryo Donation Center’s (NEDC) Digital Media Manager, WKU graduate Chris Barrett, has collaborated with University of Tennessee child development professor Dr. Sally B. Hunter to create a heartwarming children’s book titled, Training Wheels: How Did I Get Here? The book helps parents start the conversation and answer their children’s questions.

These same questions have been asked by traditionally adopted children for decades and have influenced numerous books that assist in reinforcing an adopted child’s understanding of why they are special and very much loved. Some of these publications provide value to the parents of embryo adopted children but they don’t tell the whole story; that is until now.

Training Wheels tells about 5-year-old Miles and the new bike he gets for his birthday from his special friend, Mike. Miles’ parents explain that Mike’s mom and dad generously donated their remaining embryos and he was born as a result of their loving gift.

The story is told in a delightful rhyming pattern, using words that are easy for preschoolers to understand and a storyline that will help to satisfy their curiosity about where they came from. Fun and colorful illustrations by Knoxville artist Tyler Garrison saturate the book and enhance its appeal to young children.

Training Wheels is a privately funded project and has enjoyed its first soft cover printing. It is available online through Amazon at www.amazon.com.

Geology students participate in Winter Term course in Bahamas

Sixteen WKU geology majors traveled to San Salvador Island, Bahamas, over the January 2012 Winter Term for a study abroad field course on the geology and natural history of the Bahamas islands.

A group of WKU geology students participated in a Winter Term course in the Bahamas.

“The Geology of the Bahamas” course was led by geologist Dr. Fred Siewers from WKU’s Department of Geography and Geology, with assistance from Dr. Lisa Park from the National Science Foundation and the University of Akron.

The purpose of the course was to study modern environments of limestone formation, the development of caves and karst on tropical islands, and to explore evidence for environmental and climatic change over the last 150,000 years.

Other activities included daily snorkels over modern reefs and an examination of their fossilized counterparts, the biology and hydrogeology of saline lakes and “blue holes,” and an exploration of San Salvador’s rich cultural and human history as preserved in plantation ruins.

Dr. Siewers said most students were amazed at the diversity of field experiences on San Salvador Island, were surprised at the remoteness and rugged beauty of the island and found the course to be a “life changing experience” that transformed the way they look at the natural world and modern society.

Students participating in the 2012 Winter Term course included: Rachel Bowles, a graduate student from Bowling Green; Justin Cave, a junior from Glendale; Jordan Cottingham, a junior from Sebree; Jacob Gibbs, a sophomore from Bowling Green; Cassie Hornback, a senior from Hodgenville; Lowell Neeper, a junior from Morehead; John Papineau, a senior from Albany; Natasha Patterson, a sophomore from Springfield, Tenn.; Zack Pennington, a junior from Liberty; Mitchell Read, a junior from Elberfeld, Ind.; Andrew Reeder, a graduate student from Bowling Green; Gabe Russell, a graduate student from Bowling Green; Jordan Seng, a senior from Dubois, Ind.; Brandon Thomas, a junior from Russellville; Trevor Thomas, a junior from Bowling Green; and Nathaniel Zoeller, a junior from Shelbyville.

Dr. Siewers’ geology field course in the Bahamas is offered every other year during the Winter Term and is one of many study abroad experiences offered by the Department of Geography and Geology.

More: Photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page.

Contact: Fred Siewers, (270) 745-4555.